The 3 WORST FONTS For Signage! (Open at Your Own Risk)

In the signage industry, we deal with FONTS on a daily basis. Nearly every sign incorporates text in one way or another. Now, although you may think you know your fonts pretty well, you may be interested to see which POPULAR FONTS we believe you should do your best to stay away from.

When fabricating signs, there are 3 THINGS you must consider when evaluating your choice in font.

1. VISIBILITY

Although certain fonts can look appealing to the eye, the first variable to consider is how EASILY your font can be read. Not only should your font be quickly deciphered from close distances, but from far away as well. This is especially prudent for VEHICLE GRAPHICS, and WALL SIGNS. Both vehicle graphics and wall signs are viewed by passerby’s and are only viewed for a few seconds at a time. If your font gets lost at high rates of speed, or great distances, you should consider choosing a different font..

2. PROFESSIONALISM

Some of the most popular fonts used by consumers/designers, quite frankly, are not professional. If the font you are considering for your signage looks like it was handwritten, or has uncommon/non-decipherable characters, it is in your best interest to move away from that choice. Although fonts can be fun, your signage should always be professional first.

3. MARKET INUNDATION

Market Inundation is just a fancy way of saying if a font is overused, are too popular in the marketplace. Although it is always a good idea to use a font that people can connect with or have seen before, you don’t want to be using a font that EVERYONE has used or seen before. There may be a few fonts that hold a special place in your heart, but don’t let them dominate all your content.

Without further ado, here are what we believe to be the 3 WORST FONTS FOR SIGNAGE:

TIMES NEW ROMAN: Although this may sting a bit, Times New Roman needs to be removed from your font selection. Although it does not fail the visibility/professionalism considerations, it gets an F- in market inundation. The fact that everyone who’s ever used a computer knows about Times New Roman should be a tell-tale sign that it is overused. There are hundreds of similar fonts that offer the same benefits of Times New Roman but will give your customers a fresh take on the classic font. Unless you’re submitting a college essay, we suggest choosing something else.

COMIC SANS: Comic Sans is a classic example of a font that fails both the Professionalism & Market Inundation considerations. Despite the fact that it is very popular, and commonly used, it should be scratched off your list with permanent marker. Comic Sans is no longer taken seriously in the professional sector and should be strictly used for children’s party invitations. If you’re looking for a font that has some flair to it, Comic Sans should no longer be your “go to”.

PAPYRUS: Last, but certainly not least, Papyrus. Papyrus is a font that fails all three of the considerations above. It is difficult to see from distance or smaller sizes, lacks professionalism, and is very overused. Papyrus’ claim to fame is that it was the font used in the movie, “Avatar”. Unless you are creating something for “Egyptian Night” at this years Halloween Party, we would recommend staying as far away from Papyrus as possible.

Navigating font & font types is an art. Literally. Graphic designs take college courses just about fonts and their uses!!! If you need help choosing the perfect font for your signage, let us help. We vow to help you find the font that will be VISIBLE, PROFESSIONAL, AND UNIQUE.

Great and educational blog about font selection! Another pet peeve I have is lack of appropriate tracking and kerning making signage less readable. Great reasons to use professionals like Divine Signs!